


No Birds in Brooklyn

by GrandCapacity



Category: Orphan Black (TV)
Genre: AU, F/F, Femslash, Gay, LGBT, Lesbian, New York, Orphan Black - Freeform, Orphan Black AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-07
Updated: 2016-12-24
Packaged: 2018-07-12 19:10:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7118929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrandCapacity/pseuds/GrandCapacity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Coming back from San Fran with a bag full of dead flowers and a head full of crushed dreams, Cosima finds herself reunited with her broken family and stumbling upon one of the most notorious criminals in the state, Delphine. COPHINE. AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Table Talk

**Author's Note:**

> This will probably a 20+ chapter fic. But first let me send a shoutout to my roommate/beta (http://whothehellssbucky.tumblr.com) for going over this mess I call a story. Is Delphine alive guys? Guy I'm scared. Here's what should happen if she was alive. VERY AU. AND VERY GAY.

The car is filled with the soft hum of the radio, the song unrecognizable. It’s the only thing she can focus on, the only thing to still her mind and calm her peppering heart. They’re parked outside of a local jewelry store. The car is stolen. Delphine sits behind the wheel and toys with the gun in her hands. Clicking in some bullets harshly before turning to Cosima. 

Their hands touch carefully. Knowing perfectly well that this may be the last time their fingers do anything as polite and soft. Soon enough, fingers will pull triggers and break doors and locks. 

“You’re shaking.”

“Do you blame me?”

Delphine tries to catch her lover’s attention.

“You know the plan.”

Cosima closes her eyes, stilling herself for a moment. “We go inside, you fire off the warning shot-“

“What do you do?”

“I run into the back, make sure no one moves or pulls any alarms.” Cosima blinks quickly, recalling the plan with expertise. “I break the cases and steal everything.”

“Everything.”

“Everything.” She repeats, finally giving Delphine her obedient gaze. 

They watch for a while, fully taking each other in. This could be their last breaths of freedom. Their last heist. Their last chance at a better, happier life. Slipping through their fingers like sand.

They memorize faces and expressions. How long their eyelashes are and how sweaty their brow is. 

Delphine cups Cosima’s cheek, “Don’t be scared.”

“I’m not.” Cosima says with a shaking smirk, “Don’t be a bitch.”

And Delphine gives back a full hearty laugh. She playfully pulls Cosima’s mask down and leans into her seat.

“A monkey?”

“A geek monkey.” 

Cosima watches Delphine laugh for a moment, before pulling her mask down in return.

“Aw, so sweet.” Cosima teases, “A puppy.”

And Delphine leans in the seat again, staring at her lover with joy.

“A puppy and a monkey sit in a car…”

“Is that the start of a really bad joke?”

“It’s a good one.” Delphine replies. “I swear…”

Her voice lowers faintly, eyes batting behind the mask. She lifts it up then, only to reveal pink tinted lips. Lips, bitten and soft to the touch. Cosima follows suit, pulling her mask off and leans in, unable to resist.

Their mouths clash into one another. A lasting kiss that sends their pulses skyrocketing, eyes fluttering behind masks made of rubber. If anyone had ever seen them now, what would they think? 

How sweet: two women in a stolen car with masks on...kissing. 

If Beth had saw Cosima now. What would she think? And very briefly, she wonders this. 

What would Beth do to her?

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

She touches down in New York in a pair of ripped shorts and a tank top two sizes too big. But Cosima was a different woman nonetheless: a bit sadder, yes, but her cleverness was all the more fatal. A whole different person than the small thing her family left behind in San Francisco years ago.

And besides the endless days of science and the endless nights of drinking, her whole outlook on San Francisco had become so insignificant now. She decided never to return the second her plane landed. Nothing else could possibly substitute for her untimely departure from home. Her constant flakiness was the only excuse she had for leaving. 

In the end it’s all the same, more weight laid upon her already heavy shoulders. 

Besides the backpack of course, Cosima packed only the essentials: A flashlight, some gum, a few pairs of underwear and, of course, some drugs for the plane ride home. A pair of shoes, strung by the laces, hang loosely from the front pocket of her pack. Some flowers poked out of the sides pockets, withered and dying, yet still maintaining that San Francisco beauty. Her hair was in a high messy bun, and her wrist jangled with beads of all kinds. 

The first person she spots is Beth, wearing her usual blazer and a tight grin. Felix is next, wearing shades indoors and holding up a piece of tissue paper with Cosima’s name scribbled on the front.

Cosima had never seen a more beautiful sight in her life. 

“What’s this?” She laughs, pulling Felix into her arms.

Deep in an overwhelming hug, he replies, “Just incase you forgot us.”

“You wish.” 

Felix then takes her bag as she hugs Beth in the tightest hold. She breaths her sister in, really breathes her in. The softest peppering of memories flood back as Beth laughs lightly into her shoulder. 

Suddenly she’s brought back in time, to one of her earliest memories as a child. Falling off her bike, sitting on the sidewalk, crying her eyes out in pain – and that smell, that lingering smell only her sister could carry with her springs into her nostrils. A hug. 

“Welcome back.” Beth whispers into her sister’s hair and Cosima nods, trying desperately to hold herself together. But slowly, her eyes begin to gloss over. 

Once both girls pull back, Cosima ignores the glassiness of Beth’s eyes and looks at Felix with concern.

“Where’s Sarah?”

“She couldn’t make it.”

“Couldn’t make it?” Cosima groans, rubbing her eyes. “Are you kidding me?”

“I know.” Beth mutters under her breath. “I know.” She repeats.

“We’re triplets for crying out loud. We were even born together, the least Sarah can do is come.”

“Well she’s waiting for you at home,” Felix counters, “I think.”

Beth wraps a strong arm around Cosima’s waist, pulling her close. “It doesn’t matter, the better half of your siblings are here - doesn’t that count for something?”

“More than you can believe.” 

Felix tugs the bag higher onto his shoulder, and loops his free arm around Cosima’s shoulders. All three walk, side-by-side, out of the airport and follow the sidewalk to the parking garage.

“How was the plane ride?” 

“Don’t really remember much of it.”

Felix gives his sister a look, “You’ll share some of those drugs, yeah?”

“Not if I confiscate them first.” Beth interjects.

“Oh yeah, Beth is still a cop. She’ll never let you forget that,” Felix whispers to Cosima, who only gives a short laugh in return.

“I’m serious. I’m confiscating all of it.”

“Alright calm down, don’t take your gun out again.”

“Felix, I swear-“ She teasingly hits the boy on his shoulder, holding back her smile while staring intensely at her phone. 

Felix responds by unlocking his car doors with the click of a key. The bag is thrown in the back and then they’re on the road.

The car ride was filled with conversation. It was as if everything had suddenly fallen into place once again. Cosima watched lazily from the backseat window as trees skimmed by. Cars drifted to the right and left, as if they were on the ocean, surfing the tides with ease. It was peaceful. It was missed. It was home.

Yet, Cosima still found herself looking for San Francisco’s beautiful silhouette. It’s beautiful bridge. And it’s beautiful mood. The mood would always be unforgettable, the people even more so. The silence of certain alleys and the bustle of certain streets were just too precious to give up on so easily. 

She remembers briefly, her favorite diner perfectly placed across her old job. She remembers her favorite food there, a bad coffee and a good croissant - and eating it – oh eating it was glorious, until-

Felix wakes her with the slamming of his car door. He parks in a small garage located under the apartment. Her door is open slightly and she leans against it drowsy from sleep.

“We’re home.” Felix says softly. “I got your bag.”

Cosima rubs her tired eyes, “Jet-lag.”

“I figured.”

He walks off, outside the garage, and into the setting sun, leaving her to compose herself. 

Cosima takes a few moments to remember her dream. It was hazy, but she felt mad for some reason. Betrayed, almost. Then the feelings gone.

She slips her shoes on in the car with a good, hard tug and slumps out of her seat. Her neck is sore and her knees crack. 

After exiting the garage Cosima graces the townhouse a look with her warm, tired eyes. It’s located on the west side, a tall structure, leaning with the wind a bit. Strong and sturdy, bright and aged, Beth’s apartment was something to certainly behold. And Cosima stares at the building as if seeing an old friend after a long time apart. 

Had it really been so long since she’s seen home? Since their parent’s lived here in peace? It all felt like some sort of dream. She touches the building to make sure it’s real, and nearly gasps when it is.

“Oi! Hippie!”

Cosima looks up to find Sarah, hanging off the front porch railing. 

“Come give your sister a hug.”

“I don’t know.” Cosima replies, “We could have already hugged at the airport.”

“Oh don’t be like that. I have a child you know. I’m a busy mom now.”

Cosima doesn’t care for the excuse, but goes to give her sister a hug regardless. She runs up the stairs and right into Sarah’s arms. They hold each other until Felix pokes his head in from the front door. 

“We have food.”

Dinner was delightful. The table was set up beautifully, forks and knives arranged on perfectly crisp, white napkins. Kira got her hug, as well, and Cosima sipped her wine with delight, laughing at Felix’s humor and raging at Sarah’s lack of empathy.

“So I heard you left a girlfriend back in San Fran.”

Cosima crunches on a piece of broccoli, and shrugs, “You could call her that.”

“Oh shut it, she was your girlfriend,” Felix states, “We all know she was your girlfriend.”

“Ex-girlfriend now.” Cosima concludes with a pained smile.

The table falls a bit quiet, until Sarah rolls her eyes and leans close to her sister. 

“That’s why we’re taking you out tomorrow.”

“Oh god, already? But-” 

“Nope, no excuses, we’re going.” Felix announces. He glances beside him, a smile on his lips, “And Beth is tagging along too!”

“No I’m not.” Beth responds dryly.

Cosima had almost forgotten Beth was eating with them the whole time. She’s been silent, quiet as a mouse during most of meal. Only cutting in when the moment seemed right. For some reason, it irked Cosima to the bone. 

So, abruptly, she asks, “What sort of cases are you working on, Beth?” 

The sister chews, swallowing before giving an answer, “The boring ones.” 

“She wants to go after killers.” Sarah says, toying with Kira’s hair.

“Homicide.” Beth corrects then turns to look at her sister, “But now I’m just doing lowcase jobs. Burglaries, missing victims, stuff like that.”

“Sounds more fun.”

“Not as many car chases, but it’s enough to wake me up in the morning.

“She’s been looking for this thief. A real good one too, yeah?”

“We don’t know her name yet.” Beth continues to eat, “ We only know her by the signature she leaves at every crime scene.”

Cosima looks up from her food, “Oh yeah?”

“Cigarette burns. Everywhere.” Felix says with clarity, “How fantastically dramatic is that?”

“It’s a bit cliché.”

“It tells us that she robs for pleasure and not poverty.” Beth concludes, “She gets a thrill from it.”

“I can understand that.” Cosima says to her plate, eating away. 

There’s a slight pause at this, as Beth watches her sister eat in peace. The table is immediately silent. The only noise is Cosima’s fork and knife, lightly clanking against her plate. 

“Understand what?” Sarah asks, a slight smirk on her lips, “Thievery?”

“Well-“ Cosima takes another bite and chews, “I just find people who go against social norms interesting. People who steal for fun are just stealing because ‘why buy something when you can just take it’? Y’know?”

Beth leans forwards a bit, “Except, y’know…it’s a crime.”

Both women sip their wine, looking away for a moment, the tension suddenly too palpable. Sarah takes it all in, still petting her daughter’s head carefully. There’s a playful smile on her lips, now turning into a sharp grin. Eyebrow raised, chest puffed out, she opens her mouth until Felix stands in his chair.

“Who wants mimosas?”

Cosima almost chokes, “It’s 8 o’clock!”

“Never stopped me before.” 

“Mimosas and wine?” 

“A match made in heaven,” Felix concludes.

Then the he’s gone, shuffling out of the room and right into the kitchen. 

All three sisters are left alone, along with Kira, eating their meals quietly. Sarah throws occasional looks between Cosima and Beth with the faintest feeling of excitement driving up her spine. She holds it back, of course, and merely taps Kira on the back.

“May we be excused?”

Beth just nods while pouring more wine for herself.

With Sarah and Kira gone, just the two remain, sneaking quick glances and drinking more alcohol. 

“Are we going to have a repeat of Christmas 2003?”

“That depends…” Cosima whispers.

“Because, if we are, let’s just clear the air now.” Beth states, finally looking her sister in the eyes. “If you have something you want to tell me. Just tell me.”

Cosima toys with the broccoli on her plate. She suddenly feels like a child again, being scolded. Her head is bowed and her brows furrowed. There are a million things swirling in her mind, a million memories and a million words that just need to be said. But she swallows them along with her food.

“You’re acting like mom again.” 

“Well can you blame me?” Beth mutters, finishing her wine. “If someone doesn’t act like mom then there’s just…chaos.”

“There was chaos because of mom.” Cosima gives a harsh laugh, “I mean you seriously think she kept the peace?”

“Well I wouldn’t really expect you to know anything about mom.” Beth finishes her wine in one final chug, “You didn’t even attend her funeral.”

“Beth, I just got back-“ Cosima looks at the ground, too nervous to meet her sister’s eyes. “Can we do this another day?”

Beth exhales. “That’s fine.” She picks up her empty plate and simply says, “We have all the time in the world…now that you’re living here again.”

There’s a shift in the air that is so unsatisfying. Cosima eyes her sister with intensity, and continues to do so as she walks away, plate in hand.

“Only temporarily!” Cosima cries out after Beth, who enters the kitchen while Felix leaves. He’s carrying a tray full of orange fruity drinks and his smile fading as he sees the near empty table.

“What happened?”

He looks back at the kitchen, “What’s wrong with Beth?”

When he turns back to the dinner table, Cosima is gone, too, shuffling off into her old bedroom to close the door harshly. Felix’s voice is shut out immediately.

She stands with her hand on the doorknob for about a full minute before rubbing her eyes with the curl of her shaking fingers. Cosima finally clicks the lights on to get a full view of her old bedroom.

It was still the way she left it five years ago. The same moldy, green colored walls remained, with science posters strewn across every inch of the paint. Along with the same old broken closet door, creaking with every move. Her feet clump along an old rug her great grandma had owned, still stuck under her twin-sized bed.

Cosima, for the life of her, never thought she’d ever be back here again. Especially so soon…

Nothing had changed, and that was the problem.

The knock on her door sends her jumping. She leans against the bed and grabs her heart. 

“It’s open!” She calls out, still gasping for breath.

“Hey-“ Sarah peeks her head in, “Just wanted to say… you better start looking through that backpack for yours heels, because we’re going clubbing tomorrow.”

“Sarah…“ She groans, “I’m not in the mood.”

Sarah just stays by the door frame, twisting the doorknob, deep in thought. She finally enters and looks at the posters on Cosima’s wall. An eyebrow is raised, and a small smirk on her lips too.

“I haven’t been in this room since you left.”

They catch eyes. “You haven’t been in this room for five years?”

“Yeah. No one has.”

“That explains the dust.”

Cosima watches as her sister touches a few things on the bedside table. A small globe, her lamp-

“Beth thinks you’re going to pull another Christmas 2003 scandal again.”

Cosima falls back onto her bed. “Trust me, I know.” 

“Did she already ask?”

“Of course she did.”

Sarah takes a pause, figuring her words our carefully. “She’s just scared, you know that, yeah?”

“I know.”

“And it’s not about the money, Cosima. It’s really-“

“I know.”

Sarah rubs her eyes a bit before staring at more posters. The room is so childish. So innocent. It was during a different time, a different age. When Cosima was sweet. When she wasn’t so stressed out.

“Let me take you out.” Sarah asks softly, her voice careful and almost desperate, “Please?”

Cosima sits up and gives her sister a pure gaze of concern. Then she’s back to looking at the floorboards. Her mind was buzzing again. Flickering like a light. When did decision making become so hard? When did she become so complacent and indecisive?

Did it all start when she got on that plane? Or when she landed? Cosima rubs her eyes a bit, letting out a soft hum. It’s all just another distraction for her mind.

“See how you feel tomorrow.” Sarah mutters. And her hand softly pats her sister’s head.

And then she’s gone and Cosima is stuck in the suffocating room alone once again. Her eyes trained to the ground, and fingers curling into the sheets behind her. 

Suddenly, she remembers. Quickly walking to the window beside her dresser, a large piece of glass that went from ceiling to floorboards. She spreads open the curtains and blinds with swift, diligent hands. 

The view. Oh the view. She remembers the view with every inch of her soul. Late nights spent here, listening to the traffic below, the perfect view of every light and tower in all of New York. 

Cosima loved her room for the view, and realizes, standing amazed at the window, that she still does.

Her hands graze the cold window carefully. Then, suddenly, with her eyes glancing below, she spots a woman walking on the sidewalk. 

She follows her with a careful gaze, before she disappears into a building nearby. And then everything below was still again.


	2. Drink and Push

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank my beta once more, and hope you enjoy the update! Finally some Cosima/Delphine action :)

Sarah’s drunk before they even leave the house. And both brother and sister watch her with unwavering eyes as she staggers into McCurdy’s, an Irish pub that always seems to be responsible for most, if not all, of the family’s biggest disasters.

Two summers ago Beth’s fifth boyfriend had proposed to her at McCurdy’s. The next day, she caught him cheating on her with her best friend, Megan. This gruesome end to their very short engagement, had also taken place at McCurdy’s. Which is just terribly ironic. 

It was at McCurdy’s where Felix had first realized his love for men, particularly Irish ones. 

It was where most of Sarah’s nights both ended and began. So when she would go missing, which happens more often than not , there was always a 90% chance she was there, behind the bar, sleeping under the bartender’s watchful gaze. 

His name was Victor Schmidt, and he welcomed Sarah with a sort of tired expectation. He knew a storm was coming, but he always seemed prepared. 

Tonight was different though. Tonight Victor was on edge.

The pub was packed. Shoulder to shoulder, groups of five and six all huddled around tables and chairs. Laughter and conversation echoed off of the walls while the music blared out of speakers. Ears rang the moment you stepped inside. The lights so dim one could barely see their own hand, let alone their drink. A fight was breaking out by the left hand corner, barely cooled by the light summer breeze flowing in from the propped open door. 

McCurdy’s was exactly how Cosima had left it: One big fucking mess.

Immediately Sarah pushes her way to the front of the counter, slamming her hand against the bar.

“Vic!” She cries out.

He gives her a quick nod as he paces, mixing drinks and shaking up cocktails of all kinds. Victor was an old friend, and moved even faster now than he did five years ago.

He stops in the middle of his magical movements, glancing their way with wide eyes.

“It can’t be.” He strokes his wrists, a short laugh of excitement, “Either Beth wears glasses now… or that’s…Cosima?”

“Vic-,” She begins, but her short wave is pulled in with a strong fist as Victor reaches over the counter and gives the girl a strong, demanding, hug. Fearful of someone’s drink tipping over, beers and shots are pulled away from the embrace. 

This all lasts exactly sixteen seconds.

“Does this mean we get drinks for free today?” Sarah asks. 

“Only Cosima.” He says, still holding the girl closely. 

He smells like sweat, and she basks in it.

“How long has it been?” He questions, “Let me get you a rum and coke.”

“I’m more of a long island iced tea kind of girl now.”

“San Fran really does things to a girl, huh?”

As Victor speaks a drunken couple begins to complain about their drinks taking too long. His smile fades and he turns to them with an edge to his voice.

“Shove it up your ass!” He screams out above the noise, “I’ll make your drinks when I want to make your drinks!”

Felix holds himself against Sarah’s shoulder laughing so hard he’s shaking. Cosima watches the couple angrily shout something back, and then a voice, sharp, smooth and foreign, sounds out above all the rest. 

“Let me take care of them.” A woman whispers to Victor, a finger tapping his shoulder.

“They won’t tip you.” He says back.

“I have my ways.”

“I’m sure you do,” Cosima says suddenly, unable to contain her thoughts. 

But the woman doesn’t hear as she slides down the counter with ease.

Every movement is smooth and graceful. Every second spent goes to good use. You can see it the second you meet her. 

The woman works like a machine. She spun, and dove, and climbed and cleaned and shook. She has complete control of her body and everything around her. And she makes sure it’s obvious.

She wears a dress, white and low cut, and her hair bounces with every step she takes. There’s four rings, set perfectly on the delicate fingers of her right hand, that glisten under the lights of the bar. 

She was magic and grace. 

Victor’s still talking but it’s turned to white noise, now. blending with the sounds of everything else. Cosima’s gaze is fixated on-

“Delphine Cormier.” He says, “Isn’t she stunning?” 

Cosima watches as Delphine talks to the couple, making them laugh, and begins her bartending with skill. 

“Found her at another bar on 2rd Ave. She was making cocktails in the dinkiest little Jewish restaurant.” He watches her too. “Grabbed her the second I could get my hands on her.”

“She’s French.” Cosima states.

“Yeah, and she probably makes more money than you and I combined. From tips.” 

Cosima, speechless, finally pulls her gaze from the woman to glance at Victor. 

“She came here last year.” Felix mutters, popping up beside Cosima leaning on the bar, “And I’ll have a Manhattan.” 

The order snaps Victor into action. “Sarah, the usual?”

“Is it free?”

“If you give me a good tip.”

“Here’s one, why don’t you try bathing more often? I could smell you from outside.”

Victor gives a devilish sort of smirk. A fire sets off in his eyes . 

The mood shifts, as Sarah leans against the counter. “Get me drunk, Vic,” Sarah begs, her voice a bit smoother, “You know you want to.”

He doesn’t respond, but smiles while pouring three drinks with one hand. 

Everyone watches him in awe, but Sarah is especially attentive. She doesn’t blink, too afraid to miss anything. Cosima catches her sister with a sly smile. 

She leans in close, whispering lowly. “Are you seriously into Victor? McCurdy’s Victor?”

Sarah shrugs, “I like them rugged.” 

“Runs in the family.” Felix adds, a brute man already in his arms. 

Cosima gives another glance at the girl behind the counter. Delphine. “I must be the black sheep then.”

But Sarah is already chugging her drink and Felix is too deep in the crowds to hear. Cosima takes a few more seconds to watch Delphine swivel and shake drinks until she pulls her gaze back to her sister.

“Sarah, pace yourself.”

Sarah claps the drink onto the counter. “Don’t worry. Ol’ Vic here will take good care of me.”

When Cosima gets a good look at the bartender she notices he’s enjoying the whole thing. Her stomach twists a bit.

“Sarah. Do you really think this is-”

“Listen little sis…“ Sarah wraps a strong arm around Cosima, her breath is toxic, “Why don’t you stay out of my love life and we instead work on yours?”

“I’m not really-“

“Come on.” 

“Sarah, don’t-“

“I have a great Idea.

“Don’t you dare…”

“Let’s play-“

“No-“

“Drink and push!” 

A groan. Cosima rubs her eyes, “Anything but drink and push.”

“What’s drink and push?” Vic asks, getting close enough to pour Sarah another drink. 

“Let’s demonstrate, yeah?” 

Cosima grumbles lowly as her sister grips her shoulders with strength. Even the harshest tug couldn’t offset Sarah’s hands. 

With drunken skill, Sarah grips her shot by the lips and tosses it all back. She gulps the whole thing down, one shot, one second. Then, with her head still in the air and glass still bitten between her canines, she twirls on her heel, Cosima still in her grasp, and stops with precision. 

“Drink....” Sarah mutters to Vic.

She jerks to the left a bit. Focuses herself.

“And…” 

Cosima, a bit dizzy, tries to pull away. But Sarah’s force is lethal. 

“PUSH!” She screams.

Cosima goes flying off. Her feet stagger, trying to stop but she ultimately bumps into a girl, and spills her drink all over the table. 

Drink and push was originally a technique used by Beth in her younger and wilder years. Whenever Sarah or Cosima were too afraid to talk to someone at a bar, Beth always recommended that a simple push was all that they needed to get the ball rolling. Thus, drink and push was created. A simple bar game where you take a shot, spin a coward, and toss them into the fire. 

Sometimes it works out great. And sometimes it doesn’t. 

“I am so sorry! My sister-”

Cosima pulls back to find her shirt dripping with liquor. 

“She’s-”

With one look from the table Cosima immediately gets the message: Fuck off.

“Okay. Sorry.”  
Quickly staggering to find a place at the bar, Cosima grabs a nearby napkin and begins to dab and rub at her shirt with embarrassment. Her eyes focused on her handiwork and nothing else. 

Sarah was nowhere to be found, and, unsurprisingly, neither was Victor. And Felix, partaking in his favorite pastime made a quick Irish getaway. 

Cosima didn’t care, she was honestly expecting it. She would be more offended if they stayed. 

“Hey, uh.” She starts. “D-delphine?”

The woman turns from a couple of customers and slides down the counter. A bit of confusion resting on her brilliant features. 

“I’m Cosima.” She points, and feels the need to explain. “Sarah’s sister.”

Delphine lets out a small laugh and smiles. “I figured.” 

“I’m sure you’re sick of seeing the same face by now.”

“Not in the slightest.”

Cosima gulps. “I wanted to order… uh… something.”

Delphine relaxes a bit, and leans against the counter, “What can I get you?”

“Your easiest order yet,” She feels her ears get hot, she leans in. “Some water?”

Delphine gives a short snort. “You do know where you are, right?”

“I practically grew up here.” Cosima counters, leaning in even closer, “Trust me I know where I am.”

She gets a smile in response. She watches with a fire growing in her chest, as Delphine turns, bends over and pours some water. 

Cosima takes the glass from her with shaky fingers and dips a napkin in it. When she looks up from cleaning her shirt once more, Delphine is gone, already serving the next customer beside her.

Her eyes can’t stop following the bartender, as she twirls drinks and serves men and women of all kinds. She’s flirted with and yelled at, but she keeps her composure and cools heads. It was admiration that thundered deep in Cosima’s soul, but it was attraction that kept her sitting at the barstool. 

She continues to wipe vigorously reaching out for another napkin only to notice that she’s out. She groans, her eyes searching her surroundings. 

Beside her, a man is talking to his friends, his napkin settled next to him.

With ease she sneaks the cloth away from him, dipping it into her water and continues to dab at her shirt.

“I saw that.” Delphine says with a hushed tone. She’s smiling. “Thief.”

Startled, she looks up. “What?” 

“I would have given you more napkins, had you asked.” 

A short snort. “Oh, he won’t be missing it.” Cosima waves her hand about, “And besides, I get a sort of thrill from it.”

The second it leaves her mouth Cosima snaps it shut. Her teeth crunch against one another, and her vision is back at the counter. She’s sweating instantly.

Delphine leans closer, “Napkins give you thrills?”

Cosima looks at the water before her, small bubbles making their way to the top. It’s like betraying herself. Like it’s drink and push but she’s the only one playing. 

“Maybe I’ll tell you more with a few drinks in me.” She dares.

A lip is bitten and released. “What kind of drinks?”

“Anything that’s not already on my shirt.”

And in seconds her lips are around a martini glass rim. Her eyes quiver at the sight before her: Delphine, leaning dangerously close, her attention focused on only one thing. 

The glass might just snap in her hands. Fear trickles down her back. For such a secret had never been told by her lips before. She felt stiff and regretful for giving Delphine such access to her most inner darkness.

Cosima drinks the whole thing in one go and simply signals Delphine closer, until her lips are by perked ears. 

Regardless of it being such a small secret, Cosima’s cheeks were bright red. Maybe it was the drink? Maybe it was because she had kept this in for so long? Just like the taste of martini buzzed in her mouth, questions began to buzz in her mind.

Why did she trust a stranger more than her own family? 

And in a way, to spite Beth, she says quietly, “I have a bit of a stealing problem.”

Delphine pulls back, unimpressed. “All you took was a napkin.”

“And the lipstick from that woman’s purse.” 

With a quick glance, Delphine looks at the woman beside Cosima, shuffling through her bag, brow furrowed and eyes searching desperately for her probably missing cosmetic.

“Nice one.”

“Don’t tell Sarah.” Cosima says, stiff again, a bit regretful. “Or even Vic.”

Delphine gives a small wink, “Your secret is safe with me.”

The girl just nods back, her fingers around the rim of her empty martini glass. She blinks and it’s refilled, Delphine pouring with skill.

“What else have you taken?”

A fire. A bit of a spark in Delphine’s eyes, Cosima saw it, but only for a second. The goose bumps on her skin spring with excitement. She could almost get off to this. She calms her heart with another sip.

“Are you challenging me?”

“Steal something else.”

“Like what?”

“Something I’d never expect.” 

Cosima’s nostrils flare, her eyes wide. This is what she’s been waiting for since San Francisco. It was thrilling, even more so than snatching a napkin or some lipstick. 

It was a competition now. A game. A sport.

 

“Only if we play this game together.” Cosima extends her hand. “Shake on it?”

Delphine smirks slightly. Suddenly confident in more than just bartending, She returns the mannerism with grace. Their hands tangled together for just a moment more than necessary.

There are no more words spoken between them after that. Cosima watches as a man down the bar orders a whole round of shots and Delphine responds to him quickly.

The order takes about 10 minutes to make. Every now and then she’d sneak quick glances at Cosima, who was still at the same bench, swirling her drink around and sipping it here and there.

They would lock eyes, ever so briefly. A smile, tossed around without the slightest meaning behind it. 

Sarah returns out of thin air, looping an arm around Cosima. She kisses her sister’s cheeks and makes the girl laugh. All the while Delphine continues her job. 

The bar had quieted down, not as packed, but still some action here and there. It was then that Cosima and Sarah stop their talking and stand.

“Leaving so soon?” Delphine asks, cleaning a glass.

“We have to find Felix.” Sarah answers, “Who knows where that little punk is.”

Cosima reassures, “We’ve left him out on his own before though. He always manages to return.”

“Sometimes with friends.”

“That’s always fun.”

Delphine gives a curt nod. 

“Well it was nice meeting you Sarah.”

The woman gives a simple wave, “My ass is killing me. You guys need better stools, yeah?”

She walks away, saying her goodbyes to Vic next. Cosima watches, having not moved from her spot and rolls her eyes.

“Sorry she’s so...“ She sips the last of her martini. Making the conscious decision to leave her analysis of Sarah in the back of her throat. But her eyes catch Delphine’s excited gaze.

The woman leans forward and plucks the olive from Cosima’s martini with swift fingers. A sly smile lies under her chewing.

“I believe I won.”

Cosima’s mouth is wide open, a smile forms, “It doesn’t count if I saw the whole thing.”

“I still stole it, no?”

The martini glass is placed onto the counter. And Cosima takes a wonderfully delicious sigh. Usually by now she’d bring out a rulebook.

But Delphine looked so… captivating.

It made the goosebumps percolate on her skin, made her lips slip under teeth, made her throat grow dry. Delphine suddenly was so incredibly inviting that she could not, for the life of her, remember why she had ever felt fear talking to her in the first place.

Delphine was inviting, Delphine was alluring, Delphine was mysterious, but yet, you knew her with just the idea of a simple hand shake.

So, Cosima’s hand extends once more. “I’ll get you next time for sure.” 

They shake. That magnetic pull, dragging their fingers to one another. Never had she felt so attached, just by a mere pleasantry. 

Then Cosima is gone, dragging her sister out by the arm and trying to search for her cellphone in her bag to call Felix.

McCurdy’s was suddenly solemn, even with so much energy still inside.

Delphine doesn’t move from her spot. She watches Victor clean a few glasses and take an order. Her eyes unwavering, mouth opening softly in shock. Slowly, and almost fearfully, she looks at her right hand to count her rings. 

Only three.

Cosima twirls the fourth one in the air, catching it quickly with a smile beaming from ear to ear.

“What’cha got there?” Sarah asks, trying to pull the object from her tight fingers.

But Cosima pulls away just in time. “Nothing.” She pushes the ring deep into her pockets. 

Sarah gives her sister a long look. They cross along the street. 

“I saw you talking to the bartender all night long.” She leans close to Cosima, really whispers in her ear, “Drink and push does it again.” 

“Oh please.” Cosima toys with the ring in her pocket, “The only thing that game did for me tonight was stain my shirt.”

“So the blondie wasn’t into you?” 

When Sarah doesn’t get an answer back she walks deeper into the streets of the city, Cosima lagging behind. “Well her loss then, yeah?” She ends. 

Pushing the ring from her pocket and onto her finger, Cosima says lowly, “Her loss for sure.”


	3. Persian Carpets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the long wait folks! Thanks for sticking with me for this long. Thanks again to my Beta (Im madly in love with you) and please enjoy chapter 3 of No Birds In Brooklyn.

She wakes up beside Sarah and prays she isn’t naked. The first feeling is _ sweat. _ Wetness in her eyes and wetness in between her fingers. A headache beating down upon her without a single shred of forgiveness takes her for a trip, yet she holds strong. Cosima is no stranger to this feeling.

“Hangover.” She says softly, too afraid to open her eyes.

Once a beautiful look into the city, now magnifying rays of burning light, she curses having such huge windows. And even cursed them as a youth.

They come back in quick flashes, especially when hung over, the memories of her mother.  Waking up from nights out with friends, sneaking past the dining hall, and stumbling upon her mother sitting on her bed, waiting for her with an all-knowing gaze.

The thought makes her sick. She shoos it away quickly.

“Sarah.” She says softly. “Sar-”

A grunt. A shuffle. A moan. 

“Christ.”

Another grunt. Another muffle. Another moan.

“Fuck.”

Cosima’s eyes snap open (and it stings) to a voice that wasn’t Sarah’s or even her own. First she checks, feverishly, if she’s wearing pants and lets out a quick sigh of relief, but it stops short in her throat when the blankets are pulled aside to reveal her sister and a  _ stranger  _ tucked away beside her.

“Not _ again _ , Sarah.”

Then the bedroom door is swung open. Felix stands tall, unscathed by their recent nights loitering around the city, in the doorway. He has a pip to his step, a grin from ear to ear and an apron tight tightly to his waist.

“I’ve made pancakes.” He looks at the scene for a moment, “Sarah, bring your friend.”

“Come on, friend.” She mutters.

Sarah gets up, rubbing her eyes and mumbling under her breath. Cosima watches as she pulls on pants over her bare bottom and shuffles behind Felix. Not even a good morning or good night mentioned or briefed upon.

Cosima sits in her bed, restlessly dreary. Her eyes squint at the windows, watching the sun so brightly peeking around her form.

“Where’s my phone?” She asks no one.

Stepping out from inside the sunlit bedroom Cosima graces the kitchen with her presence. The dinner table is set up without utensils. Napkins are thrown to Sarah by Felix’s quick hand. His other hand is flipping a burnt pancake.

“Felix is cooking.” Beth says.

Cosima gets a good look at her sister, hair a mess, eyes baggy.

“Do you have a hangover too?” Cosima teases, bumping her sister’s shoulder lightly as they approach the dinner table.

Beth just toys with her messy hair. “This case I’m working on has me running in all kinds of circles.” She takes a sturdy sigh, “This criminal is certainly a shifty one.”

Both sisters join the rest of their family at the dinner table, hungry and fearful of Felix’s breakfast wake-up-call.

“What’s the occasion?” Sarah asks once all seats are filled.

“No occasion.” Felix places a plate full of burnt pancakes onto the table. “Just family.” He looks at Sarah’s one-night stand, oddly out of place, “And friends.”

“Friends can _ leave _ .” Cosima mutters.

“Friends can  _ stay _ .”  Sarah counters.

“ _ Family _ can quiet down.” Beth stands softly, fork and knife carefully set upon her plate. “Sarah, can I have a family meeting with you?”

“Just me?” Sarah mocks. “I thought you said  _ family _ meeting. So Cosima has to come too, right?” She has a bitter grin on her face. Toying and teasing.

But Beth ignores nonetheless. She walks past the dinner table and into their mother’s foyer, knowing perfectly well Sarah will be right on her heels.

Cosima watches them disappear down the hall and into the other room. Her eyes: straining, squinting and opening, trying to catch their shadows. Or hear their voices. Her fingers are toying with her fork and Felix knows what that quivering brow  _ really _ means.

“Now Cosima-” Felix warns, “You know what Beth’s  _ family meetings _ mean. Don’t-“

She shoves her chair back and scampers down the hall. Felix’s voice grows distant and then silent. She leans by the open doorway, listening in on her sister’s faint whispers.

Sarah’s voice comes up first.

“Look it’s not  _ our  _ job to fix her.”

“I’m not asking you to _fix_ her. I’m asking you to stop doing things that make her feel uneasy and uncomfortable. This is her home too.”

Silence.

Beth continues, softer now, “And we don’t want her leaving it again.”

“Why? Afraid she’ll take even more of your money this time?” Sarah’s voice is thick with malicious intent, syrupy and riddled with sarcasm.

Cosima listens, her heart thundering in her chest. Trying to forget distant memories, a lump begins to form in her throat, but she manages to push it down with force. Her fingers are clammy, neck cold to the touch, she feels faint, unable to accept the fact that her sisters are talking about her with such analytical voices.

“Don’t joke about it.” Beth says stiffly, her voice a harsh whisper, “Don’t-”

“You spoil her.”

Both sisters stand in silence. Sarah keeps looking out the front door window as if expecting a guest. Her eyes are afraid of Beth’s, so knowing, proud, and easy to open up to.

“She runs off with all your money and you let her come back home without a single argument.”

“Who was the one that took her out  _ partying _ last night?” Beth argues back, “Look who’s spoiling who now.”

Sarah is silenced then.

“I don’t know _ how  _ to treat her.” Sarah then admits, “I don’t know if I’m happy she’s here or upset. And…“

But then Cosima is rushing back to her seat, her socks padding down the wood flooring. She passes by the dinner table, by Felix’s calls, and flies into her room. Once the door is closed tightly behind her, she doesn’t feel anything but her hands rubbing into her eyes. Pushing so deeply it  _ hurts. _ It all just hurts.

“Fuck.” She curses. “ _ Fuck _ .” 

Of course she couldn’t get away with  _ stealing _ from her family. It’s weird. It’s awkward. It’s horrible.  _ It’s guilt. _

The first thing she does is rush over to the bags stored in her closet. Quickly tossing them on her bed and unzipping them with ease she begins to pack some things left on her nightstand.

She’s done this before. She knows how to run away and disassociate. Knows how to escape and have no one come looking for her.

Hands are digging feverishly through her bags until-

Silver, gleaming in the sunrise, on her finger. Eyes stare, searching.

Delphine’s ring.

Suddenly Cosima is tugging on a random pair of shoes and she’s out the front door, ignoring Felix’s cries.

McCurdy was calling her name with such a seductive tone she couldn’t bare to stay away any longer. If she can’t escape on a plane, she can always escape in a glass of liquor.

Maybe Delphine is there.The thought makes Cosima walk even faster.

\-----

Most bar counters are empty in the afternoon, although if the food is good enough, service can pick up a little, especially in New York.

But Cosima wasn’t at McCurdy’s for a burger. She was here to let out some steam.

“Didn’t have enough of last night?” Victor asks, coming close with both eyebrows to the hairline.

“No.” Cosima could barely give a chuckle. “Just water for now.”

His playfulness resides and he leans close, “Cosima you look pale. Want something to eat? It’s on the house.”

“I’m fine.” She stares at the counter, memorizing every wooden increment beneath her fingertips. “Just thirsty.”

Victor stays silent as he hands her the order. She drinks it hungrily. Once she finishes she gives him a quick look. “Is Delphine working today?”

“Not this early-“ Then Victor’s smile perks up, his eyes follow someone behind Cosima. “Well speak of the devil. Hey Delphine.”

“I forgot my check from last night.”

Delphine’s voice is like liquid silk In Cosima’s ears. It immediately sets the girl at ease. Her shoulders relax, a smile begins to form, and color comes back to her cheeks. Cosima looks alive again and Victor notices this quickly.

“Cosima was just asking about you.” Victor starts and then smartly backs away from the conversation.

Delphine catches her admirer’s eyes. “Cosima!” She grins. Then intrigue. “You do know that it is a bit _ too _ early to start drinking, yes?”

“I know. I know.” Cosima shrugs, “I just…needed to get out of the house for a bit.”

With some sort of unknown courage, Cosima pats the bar stool next to her, “Do you have time to chat?”

“Ah-“ Delphine gives a sort of bow. “Sadly, no. I’m running around like a mad woman all day doing errands.”

“I see.”

Delphine is handed her check and turns to takes her leave. She stops at the front door on her way out. With a soft breath, she turns back and taps Cosima’s shoulder, “Come with me?”

“ _ Please _ ?” Cosima begs.

And then both girls are out of the bar in a flash, leaving Victor behind with a smile on his lips.

They travel through the city with speed.

One second they’re in the post office laughing about the clerk’s emotionless face in secrecy, the next, their dodging cars all the while continuing conversations on safe sidewalks. They could only be worded as  _ in sync _ , perfectly _ parallel _ to one another. People would stop as they walked by, just to gaze upon both girls with curiosity. What could they possibly be talking about, and with such vigor and care?

With faces inches from kissing, they spoke about science and bars, about drinking and life. Cosima and Delphine clacked around the city for what felt like hours, until a nearby farmer’s market caught them dead in their tracks.

“Oh we  _ must _ .” Delphine pleads. “We must.  _ We must _ .”

“But we still have to go to the mall. You have to return-“

“It’s fine. It’s fine.”

Cosima follows behind the woman, keeping her close. They patrolled the market place with smiles on their faces. Tents of all colors lined the New York streets and sidewalks. Busy customers pushed and prodded their way through crowds, handling goods from apples to fish.

It was already dark out.

“Why were you asking for me?” Delphine asks suddenly, stopping by a tent to peer at some craftsman’s jewelry in wonder. “At the bar.”

“Oh.” Cosima twiddles her thumbs, until finally pulling the ring off her pointer finger with delicacy. “I wanted to tell you: I won.”

She holds the ring out with vigor and pride, a playful smile spreading upon her lips.

“I thought as much,” Delphine muses.

The eyebrow quirk is a good look for Delphine and Cosima must keep herself from nibbling her bottom lip with joy. She watches silently as the woman slips her ring on carefully. They give one another a knowing smile.

“What’s my reward?” Cosima teases.

Both women walk to another tent, stopping the conversation briefly to feel the silk patterns of scarves and knit wool hats.

“How about my number?” Delphine’s response makes Cosima’s brows shoot up.

“ _ Uh _ .”

They continue through the sea of people. Conversations rattle off all around them. Shoulder to shoulder, they walk forwards looking at goods from left to right.

“I didn’t know you were gay.” Cosima admits, “I mean-“

“I didn’t either. But I think I’m just…going with it.”

Cosima listens, as her cheeks grow unbelievably darker. They stop at another tent. Now weaving their way through quilts and rugs of all colors and sizes. Delphine pokes out from behind a beautifully fabricated bed sheet and continues.

“Yes. I’m just going with it.” She finally confirms.

“That’s....” Cosima shakes her head a bit, eyes gleaming. “…Oddly romantic.”

Both stand still, cheeks beaming, a Persian rug draped between them. Their eyes were on fire. Their cheeks were on fire.  _ They _ were on fire, burning and itching to speak, to fill the silence with something other than  _ tension.  _ Delphine looked like crystal in that moment.

“So, my number…” Delphine continues.

“Oh right!”

Cosima begins to dig in her purse, searching and pushing things onto the floor in a messy display of untidiness. She speaks softly to herself, partially to Delphine, who watches with a smile.

“I’m sorry- I just-“

She continues to look frantically for her phone. Then something catches her eye-

Delphine holds Cosima’s phone between two fingers with a grin on her face. She twists the object of desire teasingly close and then says, “Maybe I won instead, no?”

“ _ How did you _ -“ Cosima is grinning but doesn’t know why. “How did- What-“

“I’m pretty good at these sorts of games, y’know.”

“I had… _ no idea _ ?”

Then Cosima just laughs, softly, almost uneasily. “You  _ stole _ my phone at McCurdy’s? When were you even going to  _ return _ it? How did you know you’d even see me again?”

Delphine strokes the edges of a carpet, her fingers toying with the frayed edges.

“I wanted to see you again.”

Both women delve deeper into the tent, reaching the far secluded corner with silence. Cosima was almost shaking with excitement. What an enticing goddamn beauty! Delphine was perfection in her eyes. Almost worship worthy.

Her heart thundered at the desire to kiss Delphine right then and there, in between stacks of carpets and draped blankets. Hidden in the shadows. The secrecy of it all was stimulating enough.

And the boldness! The sudden boldness made Cosima want to dive head first into the woman! To hold her and twist around her like a snake, understanding every curve of her body and every shape, from ankle to wrist.

She didn’t know if it was admiration or attraction. But it wracked Cosima’s entire body.

“Taking the phone was easy. There were many moments where you left yourself very open.” The woman smiles then, finally facing the shuddering girl behind her, “In more ways than one.”

How many times will Cosima blush today? She couldn’t feel her face.

She speaks, finally, “I’m  _ that _ obvious?”

“You do like to stare.” Delphine hides a shy grin to herself, toying with carpeting here and there, “But so do I.”

Their eyes lock, but Delphine’s slide down. It makes Cosima shudder. She holds her breath and lets the woman continue to speak.

“I, too, have a bit of a thieving problem myself.” Delphine admits softly, her voice a faint dull whisper. Her fingers twirl every fabric around her with such obvious uneasiness. “So when you told me – I mean, when you admitted something so deep about yourself to me I just couldn’t control myself. And I-“

“Are you  _ apologizing  _ about the phone?”

Delphine holds her head a bit, a smile on her lips, “I think so.”

A chance. A sudden opportunity arises! Cosima grabs Delphine’s hand to draw their gazes together once more and holds back redness from crawling up to her ears.

“You don’t have to do that. You really don’t.” A chuckle, soft intakes of breath and then, “You have no idea how  _ enchanting _ you are right now, Delphine.”

With their proximity, Cosima notices the exact moment Delphine’s pupils blow up. How stunning.

The girl dons a dangerous grin then, “Let’s steal something else.” She says quickly. “ _ Anything _ .”

Cosima looks around hastily.

“Think we can get away with smuggling a carpet?”

A pause, then Delphine starts to laugh, “We can fit it in our purses!”

“I’d try anything with you.” Cosima is grinning from ear to ear, “Together we’d be  _ unstoppable _ .”

“I think so too.” Delphine finishes.

She looks at Cosima with wonderment. A small girl, with the world at the edge of her fingertips and a bartender with the biggest smile, together shut in by dusty carpets and linen. Both held hands in tribute to one another. There was a beautiful sense of respect. Glorifying such a dastardly act, but finally feeling the isolation slowly crawl away from their bones, felt like heaven.

“Call me sometime.” Delphine says before leaving.

With a goodbye and a soft kiss on both cheeks Cosima finally comes home to an empty, dark, house. Just to her liking: no one to bother her with questions of her mysterious disappearance and no one to remind her of past mistakes.

Cosima quietly and skillfully retirees to her room, clicking the door shut with touches lighter than the whispers Delphine hushed in her ear all night.

The very idea of Delphine’s number in her phone makes her pulse quicken. The very idea that Delphine even _ had _ her phone, and for so _ long _ , makes Cosima lick her lips in anticipation.

What a damn good thief.

Thoughts of Delphine swirl in her mind, obsession quakes at the very confines of her being. Cosima’s fingertips shake to touch her golden hair, they itch to feel her skin, feel her lips - taste her  _ love _ .

A knock on Cosima’s door pulls her back to reality. Beth pokes in, worry written all over her face.

“I thought you left for good again.” She admits.

Cosima slips off her shoes, tossing them aside carelessly. “Nope. Still here.”

Next is her jacket, which she flings next to the bags carelessly strewn across her bed sheets. There’s silence.

“I know you don’t intend to stay here long.”

“How come?”

“You never put your clothes in the drawers.”

A scoff. “Well the detective side of you always comes in handy _ , doesn’t it _ ?”

Beth can feel the malice and decides to come in. She pokes around with some items on Cosima’s bookshelf. Chap stick, a dusty yo-yo, some loose change, it all twirls between her fingers.

“You obviously heard what me and Sarah were talking about.”

“How could you not expect me to go and listen in?” Cosima slips off her glasses then, folding them on the bed stand.

She still hasn’t looked at her sister yet. Every action is done slowly, carefully, lazily- almost purposefully, agonizingly, delayed.

“I don’t hate you for what you did.” Beth’s voice sounds shaky. Shockingly. “I forgive you. Because you’re my  _ sister _ and  _ I love you _ .”

A pause. Cosima sits on the edge of her bed, staring out the window.

“But you know you owe me.” Beth continues.

“I know.” Cosima rubs her eyes. “Big, big time. I know.”

Beth watches her sister. Watches her with such grace and clarity. The love booming in her chest is endless. And she walks over, taking a seat beside Cosima carefully.

“Come join me on this case I’m working on.” She pauses. “Maybe it will do you some good to actually have a  _ job _ . Keep you busy.”

No answer.

“You know you get weird when you don’t have something to stress about.”

“I know.”

“It’s Mother in all of us.”

“Don’t say that.”

Cosima finally stops rubbing her eyes. They’re glassy. She looks at all the rooftops below.

“I can just find a job in my field, Beth. I did go to college you know.”

“By all means, apply to whatever science-y job you desire.” Beth’s voice is almost timid, shy, “But in the meantime come work with me.”

She bumps her sister’s shoulder playfully.

“The fuzz ain’t so bad.”

A smile plays on Cosima’s lips. They meet eyes, finally.

“Don’t I need a license or something?  _ A badge _ ?”

“Uh, just consider it…an internship.”

Cosima is grinning from ear to ear now. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a  _ police internship _ before-“

“I just want to hang out with you.” Beth admits. “And shockingly I think you're smart enough to actually do me some good in this case.”

“I’m-“ Cosima stops in her tracks. Her heart swells and then feels like it's about to explode. “I’ll help you.”

Beth’s hand on Cosima’s shoulder feels like ten tons of weight being pressed upon her already cracking back. But she pushes through it. Her eyes shoot back towards the windows.

“I’ll brief you on everything tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

Cosima doesn’t watch her sister walk away. She doesn’t watch as she opens the door and closes it. She just looks out at her window and thinks about Delphine. About the ring she’s stolen. About her secrets. About her lies. About the money.

About if Beth really needed her sister’s smarts for the case or if she just needed the help of a criminal to catch a criminal.


End file.
